Life Goes in Stages
by Grim Lupine
Summary: James is justborn, five, eleven, sixteen, eighteen, and twentyone. Teddy is always there. [oneshot] [TeddyJames] [DH spoilers]


Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: Oh, I had so much fun writing this. I'm really fond of it, actually.

**WARNING: SPOILERS FOR DH!!!**

James is just born. He is small, wrinkled, and red, and so far the most interesting thing he has done is yawn and squinch up his eyes.

Teddy peers at him, unsure of what to make of this little being that is apparently now a part of his life. Harry and Ginny are beaming and looking very pleased, so he supposes there must be something special about the infant.

James opens his eyes and looks right at Teddy, and it's as if he's waving his hands and saying _Hi, I'm James Potter!! _

Teddy curls one hand into a fist near his mouth—he hasn't sucked his thumb in a long time, but he's kept this gesture—and carefully, with his other hand, waves at James.

-O-

James is five. But he's been five for a while, and today is _Albus's_ birthday, and everyone crowds around his little brother and coos over him and gives him presents, and all Albus wants to do is play with the wrapping ribbons.

James liked his brother this morning, when Albus let him play with one of his toy dragons, but now he wishes he could trade him in for a _real_ dragon. Maybe he'll ask Uncle Charlie.

He sits under a tree and sulks, poking a stick at the ground, and this goes on until someone plops down next to him and throws an arm around his shoulders.

"Hey, Jamie," Teddy says, grinning brightly down at him and turning his hair purple.

James drops his stick and throws his arms around Teddy, giggling as the older boy enlarges his nose by several sizes.

As Teddy's hair flickers through a multitude of colors, James laughs and forgets he's supposed to be sulking.

-O-

James is eleven. His mum has him wrapped in a tight hug, weeping something about _my oldest boy, going to Hogwarts_ into his shoulder. He stands stiff in her embrace, resisting the urge to hug her back, burrow into her sweater and squeeze her tightly and ask to go home.

He _wants_ to go to Hogwarts. He just…doesn't want to leave his mum and dad.

A hand drops down onto his shoulder and squeezes it.

"Ready, Jamie?" Teddy asks, smiling at him, Prefect badge pinned neatly on his robes.

_No_, James thinks, chewing on his lower lip. Teddy's smile gentles.

"I'll get your things," he says, and waves his wand, directing James suitcase in front of him onto the train.

James finishes hugging his mum and secretly promising his dad to cause trouble, and then gets on the train.

He sees Teddy standing in front of a compartment, beckoning him over.

James spends the rest of the ride with Teddy and his friends, who all talk to him as if he's one of them and not a little firstie, and he thinks this year might not be so bad after all.

-O-

James is sixteen. He's come home for Christmas, and he's wearing one of Grandma Molly's sweaters (blue, and he sees Uncle Ron scowl down at his own maroon sweater out of the corner of his eye), and there's a faint buzzing in his ears from the explosion Uncle George let off inches away from his head.

There's a warm feeling in his chest, surrounded by his family, and Teddy sitting next to him on the couch, talking to him about Quidditch. Teddy's twenty-two, now, and a very small part of him was worried that he wouldn't want to spend his time with a sixteen-year old. He needn't have worried.

Ginny watches them from the kitchen, arm around Harry.

"Want to go call them for dinner?" she asks quietly.

Harry snorts. "Think they'll even hear me if I do?" They grin at each other, looking over at the two boys, completely engrossed in each other.

"Dinner!" Ginny calls, and a swarm of red hair stampedes over to the table.

James and Teddy remain on the couch.

"—so I dive down, like that, you know, and Aaron just follows me with—"

"—dangerous broomstick stunts, you're going to break your neck, just wait—"

"—sound like my mother—"

"_Boys_!"

The two of them jump and look up to see Ginny giving them amused looks.

"Maybe we could leave the Quidditch talk for after dinner?" she suggests, and they look at each other and shrug, before sitting next to each other at the table.

George leans over to Harry and whispers:

"You think it's hard to get their attention now, just wait until they start shagging."

-O-

James is eighteen. He holds open the door for the girl he's buying a coffee and frantically tries to recall her name. He's not fond of getting slapped, so he supposes he should remember it before the date is over.

They order their drinks and a piece of pie each (yum, blackberry, but nothing on his grandma's) and he smiles at her charmingly across the table (Jenny, Julie, oh, _what_ is her name).

He opens his mouth to say something and catches sight of a familiar figure over her shoulder.

"Would you excuse me for a moment?" he asks, and heads over there before she can answer. "Well," he says, stopping in front of Teddy and raising an eyebrow, "haven't seen _you_ in a while."

Teddy lifts his head and smiles widely. "And whose fault is that, Mr. Busy Quidditch Star?"

"Hey!" James tries to look affronted, and he slides into the chair opposite Teddy. "I sent you an owl last week, you never answered! And you're not exactly rolling in free time yourself, Mr. Auror."

Now it's Teddy's turn to raise an eyebrow. "That vicious beast of your is more likely to shred a letter than deliver it. I never got it."

"Oh, he's just not a tame animal. Like me." James grins as Teddy chuckles.

They catch up on who's doing what—"Oh, did you hear? Albus and Scorpius are dating! My baby brother, dating a Slytherin!" "Your baby brother _is_ a Slytherin." "That's beside the point."—James stealing sips of Teddy's drink until Teddy looks over to the side and says, "I think your date left."

James whips his head around and looks at the empty table (_Jill_, and of _course_ he would remember it _now_) and hurriedly gets to his feet.

"Damn," he says, and waves at Teddy. "I'll talk to you later, Teddy."

He leaves, wondering in the back of his mind why Teddy looked disgruntled, and looks around in case Jill had just left.

He finds her across the street, in the bookstore (_huh, she reads the same books that Teddy does_), and when he opens the door she glares at him.

"I'm so sorry, Jill," he apologizes, putting his contrite face on. "I didn't even realize how much time had gone by."

She gives him a look that says _is that supposed to make me feel better?_ before sighing and shaking her head.

"It's all right," she says, turning slightly and placing her book back on the shelf.

"Could we try another time?" James asks, and she looks at him with a little bit of amusement showing.

"Men," she mutters, "so oblivious."

James looks at her uncomprehendingly as she pats his cheek.

"I don't think you'll want to try another time when you figure it out, honey," she tells him, and walks out the door.

James stares at the door for a couple minutes, trying to fathom what she'd been talking about, before shrugging and heading out.

Maybe Teddy's still there.

-O-

James is twenty-one. He can't recall the last time he and Teddy fought, but they're fighting now, yelling at each other about something he doesn't even remember.

He half-expects it to end in blows. Instead, it ends with Teddy shoving him up against a wall and kissing him until his lungs hurt without enough breath. James pulls back and gulps in air, and presses their lips back together before the look on Teddy's face can change to fear.

"Jamie," Teddy whispers, breaking away. "I—"

"Shut up," James tells him, fingers pulling frantically at the buttons on his shirt.

They don't quite make it to the bedroom.

-O-

James is twenty-one and one-half. He tells his family that he and Teddy are together, now, and the only ones who are surprised are the two of them.


End file.
